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The Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast, will open to visitors today, offering the opportunity to see Puffins.

Warm spring temperatures have seen Puffins returning to their breeding grounds on the Farne Islands early for the second year running.

It is thought that the milder weather that we've been experiencing recently could well be a contributing factor.

For the past two years the milder weather has brought Puffins back to their breeding grounds earlier than expected.
If the mild weather continues it could very well indicate the start of a successful breeding season.
The Farne Islands are home to around 40,000 pairs of puffins during spring and summer."

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Experts warn that bread is 'junk food' for ducks and should be swapped for more natural treats Credit: PA Images

It's much loved pastime but one which experts today say could destroy both health and habitat.

Feeding the ducks results in tonnes of bread being thrown into the region's rivers and streams, potentially polluting the water and threatening ducks' lives.

Feeding the ducks is especially popular in the North East Credit: PA Images

It's emerged that 84 per cent of people in the North East have fed ducks with more than thee quarters (87%) of them using bread as the treat.

The Canal & River Trust estimates that each year 6 million loaves of bread, equal to 20 double decker buses, are thrown into the nation's waterways.

The Trust is now calling on kind-hearted duck lovers to swap bread for more natural treats like oats, corn, or defrosted frozen peas and also exercise portion control to avoid overfeeding.

Bread can be harmful to a ducks' health as it's nothing like their natural diet and is the equivalent of junk food.

The uneaten soggy bread can cause a build-up of bad nutrients spreading disease and attracting pests such as rats.

Experts fear rivers, such as the River Wear (pictured), can become 'clogged' by uneaten bread Credit: PA Images

Throwing bread into a canal or river can lead to overcrowding of bird populations which can cause stress to the birds, damage their habitat, and create excessive amounts of bird faeces which causes harmful algae which clogs the canal.

More buses in York are to be converted into electric vehicles thanks to a £475,000 grant from the Government.

The Department of Transport's Clean Vehicle Technology fund will now enable the conversation of an additional five buses into ‘zero emission motion’ – meaning electric motors.
Operating costs of the electric buses will save over £75,000 a year.

The converted buses are quieter and emit no pollution from the tailpipe as they run entirely on electric motors and battery packs. The electric range is more than enough to complete a full day of touring and the buses will trickle charge overnight at their depot, using low carbon off peak electricity.